‘Siesta-ing’ in Seville

It’s finally reached December and we’ve been listening to all the Christmas songs on our mp3 players. Unfortunately the list isn’t long enough so we’ve been getting quite a few repeats. The other good news is that the Christmas lights are finally on in all the towns we’re visiting and it really makes the nights beautiful.

Arriving in Seville

It had been a long break between laundry stops – since there weren’t the helpful African washing ladies to do all my work – and the clothes situation was getting quite dire. We cranked up the heating in our Seville apartment (final washing place before Australia) and with some fantastic help got through all the washing. We couldn’t hang any clothes on the balconies (since we were in such a prime location) so the house looked like a walk-in wardrobe.  

While the washing was finalising had a very Spanish siesta – then to complete the Spanish cultural experience went out to (by Australian standards) a late dinner. It would be a shock if we weren’t the first people in a restaurant! We even wait till after 9pm and they’re still empty.

Sleep in

We had the full day in Seville and didn’t set a wake-up time. Big mistake. I glanced over at my watch and saw it was 11am. The most surprising thing was due to our fantastic location just near the cathedral it was massively noisy and I’d actually slept. Every morning at 9am the cathedral bells rang for about 20 minutes – this was the biggest complaint on tripadvisor about the apartment. Had brunch and headed out into the city for some more sightseeing.

Seville Sightseeing

Since we were so very close to this cathedral– certainly had to visit. Thought we were only going to have to walk about 20 metres to the door but of course we were on the wrong side. Finally found the right entrance we went into another massive religious complex. Again it had amazing artwork and massive ceilings. For some strange reason there were some student protestors camped inside the main cathedral – but since it was so large they were taking up only a tiny percentage of the whole space. At least they were quiet – some complaint about them not having work or something. Don’t know why protesting to the tourists was going to help them but at least they were in a visible place.

Another cool tomb – just amazing how history lessons come rushing back…

(Tomb of Columbus)

We climbed up another tower – this one with ramps rather than stairs which was a nice change. Great view over the city and being up in the clock tower while the bells were ringing was certainly a noisy experience. One poor kid nearly jumped out of his skin.

Our next place to visit was the famous gardens and palace. However we were stopped from actually entering the grounds since the Spanish head of state was visiting. Don’t know who that is but our bet was they were there to watch the Davis Cup Final against Argentina.  After circumnavigating the gardens and trying to find an entrance with no luck we ended up back at our apartment for a late lunch.

Lunch on Terrace

Our accommodation was typical for this trip so far – central and high quality. Quite a step up from African camping. We made our own lunch and got to eat it with this view from our own terrace – pretty special…

(View from Terrace towards Cathedral)

Had time for another siesta – loved it.

Flamenco Concert

We got to experience another cultural delight – going to a Flamenco concert in the Seville Cultural Centre. Had an amazing guitar player with a male singer who had the weirdest facial expressions I’d ever seen. There were a couple of young kids who struggled to keep a straight face through his performances – some of the adults had to stifle a laugh as well.

The first guy dancer was amazing – his legs flew and feet stomped while his chest stayed so still. Had amazing posture and a very serious look. The lady dancer was more of what I was expecting and she didn’t disappoint. Was a fantastic night’s entertainment and short enough to leave you wanting more. They even had time at the end where you could take photos but the light (or lack thereof) ruined all my photos.

Christmas Lights

Headed out to wander the streets and admire the lights. Was going really well until they all switched off around 10pm. Was a bit strange and we walked past some council workers fiddling with some lights up some ladders. Think they may have broken some or were madly trying to fix them – very disappointing. Managed to get some photos on our walk to the river and back.

(Tower and Lights)

We slept badly that night (boy the Spanish can make some noise – partygoers then the cleaners early in the morning) and packed our bags in the morning to leave Spain.